It's Too Late To Apologize
by Destany Mitchell
Summary: A Post Season 3 Oneshot to OneRepublic's It's Too Late To Apologize. Set 6 months after the finale. Jude and Tommy run into eachother one last time. Will their love prevail? Or is it too late?


**Disclaimer: **I don't own IS or any of it's characters, yada yada. They all belong to their respective owners, yada yada. I also don't own the song lyrics to It's Too Late To Apologize by OneRepublic.

**Summary: **A oneshot set to OneRepublic's It's Too Late To Apologize. Post Season 3 finale, but no major spoilers for those who haven't seen it. It's 6 months later and Jude and Tommy run into each other one last time.

"Tommy?"

I froze in my tracks at the sound of her voice. That voice that could make me weak without the slightest bit of effort. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I turned to face her, a smile already plastered to my face.

"Hey, Jude." I said, managing to keep my voice casual. She looked good, breathtakingly good and I had to remind myself that she broke my heart. That I was over her.

_I'm holding on your rope_,

"You're back." She said, sounding surprised. I shrugged.

"Got some business to take care of." I said nonchalantly. I was avoiding her. I knew it was only a matter of time before I ran into her, but it still shocked me all the same. What the hell did you expect Quincy? I scolded myself.

_Got me ten feet off the ground_

"I…it's good to see you." She said, smiling warmly and I looked away from her heart melting smile. I wasn't going to fall for her again. I wasn't going to set myself up for that fall again. Jude and I don't work. It didn't matter how much we felt for each other, fate was against us and I know that now. We weren't meant to be. Maybe in another lifetime, but definitely not in this one. "How was Asia?" She asked, looking nervous.

"Amazing," I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. The first couple days were rough, I couldn't help but think how much better it could have been if she'd been there. But the thoughts faded as I got caught up in the beauty around me. There's nothing like backpacking through another continent to get over a broken heart.

"I…I missed you." She finally said, looking straight into my eyes and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

_I'm hearin what you say_

I struggled to say something, anything, but I couldn't. How can you tell the person you were in madly in love with that only a small part of you missed her? The part of me I left behind when I left Toronto six months ago.

_But I just can't make a sound_

Jude continued to look into my eyes, hers searching mine for any signs that I missed her too. She was waiting for me to say something, anything, but I didn't know how to tell her I didn't miss her. That I was over her. I didn't need her anymore.

"I...yeah, I missed you too." I said, giving her a forced smile and trying to keep my tone pleasant and sincere. She seemed to believe me and I felt bad for lying to her, but we were in public. I didn't want to make a scene.

Jude had other ideas, because she stepped closer to me and threw her arms around me and I stiffened in her arms.

"Tommy, I still love you." She murmured into my shoulder and I closed my eyes and sighed.

_You tell me that you need me_

"Jude," I said, my voice coming out strained. I reached between us and grabbed her arms and pulled them away from me. She looked sharply at me, a confused look in her eyes. "Look, I"

Before I could say anything else, I felt someone come up behind me and kiss my cheek.

"There you are." She said, and I turned to smile at Karen, the girl I met half way through my trip and we started off as friends, going through Asia together and it quickly turned into more.

"Hey," I said warmly and kissed her. I pulled away sooner than I wanted and looked over at Jude who was staring at me, agape.

"Um, Jude, this is Karen. Karen, Jude."

"Nice to meet you." Karen said, reaching over and offering her hand to Jude. Jude stared at it a moment and then took her hand and gave it a shake.

"Yeah…um, nice to meet you." She said, her voice sounding broken and dead.

An awkward silence stretched between us and I turned to Karen and kissed her cheek.

"Kar, hun, um…do you think I can catch up with you later?" I asked her and she nodded, looking between me and Jude. "I just, gatta finish up here, ok?" She nodded.

"Of course." She said, standing up on her toes and kissing my cheek. She reached up and caresses the spot and I couldn't help but close my eyes and lean into her touch. "I'll see you later." She said and left, her fingers brushing across my skin as she did so and I watched her go, wishing I could go with her, but I couldn't. I had to do this. I had to make this over, officially.

"Jude, um"

"You have a girlfriend." She stated, looking up at me, her lips pursed.

"Yes." I said with a nod. "And you have a boyfriend, or at least, you _did, _last I recall." I pointed out. She narrowed her eyes at me as she stared at me and I sighed. Here we go again. I thought as I braced myself for Jude and Tommy, round who the hell knows.

"You're the one who left Tommy, not me."

_Then you go and cut me down_

"I asked you to come with me." I stated, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "You decided to stay here."

"You didn't exactly give me time to think things through, Tommy." She argued and I rolled my eyes.

"You know what, forget it Jude. Move on." I said, turning around. "I did." I muttered as I started to leave the corner I bumped into her on.

_but wait_

"Tommy," Her voice stopped me and I let out a frustrated sigh. I hated the power she still held over me.

"What, Jude?" I asked, not turning around and not bothering to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

_You tell me that you're sorry_

"I…I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean it."

I let out a bitter laugh and turned around to face her.

_Didn't think I'd turn around, and say..._

"You're too late."

_It's too late to apologize_

"W-wwhat?" She stammered out. I let out a sigh and turned around to face her. I shrugged my shoulders at her and gave her a sad smile.

_I said it's too late to apologize_,

"It's too late."

Jude didn't say anything, tears filled her eyes and I felt my resolve crack. I hated seeing women cry. It was a weakness, and it was a greater weakness when it came to Jude. Her 16th was dead proof of that.

"Jude, I…"

_I'd take another chance, take a fall_

"I'm sorry." I said, meaning the words. "But, I can't do this again."

"I…I get it. You moved on." She said with a shaky breath. "I should have expected it."

"What did you expect Jude?" I asked her. "That I'd come crawling back to you?" I shook my head. "You made your choice. I got over it."

_Take a shot for you_

"I was wrong." She whispered.

"If you would have said that, 6 months ago…" I shook my head.

_And I need you like a heart needs a beat_

"It doesn't matter anymore," I stated. "At least, not to me."

_But it's nothin new_

She lowered her gaze to look at the ground by her feet for a long moment. Silence stretched between us and I couldn't help but think of the past. Of when I had loved her so damn much, it hurt.

_I loved you with a fire red_

It still hurt, but in a different way.

_Now it's turning blue_,

I sighed and tried to bring myself to say something to her, anything to help this, but I couldn't. There was nothing left to say. She chose Jamie. I left. I moved on. There was nothing left for us. She made it that clear when she told me her choice.

_and you say..._

"Jamie and I…we didn't work." She said suddenly, looking up to meet my eyes. "He didn't love me, at least…not in the ways that mattered." She smiled sadly at me. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it before."

_"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you_

"Me too." I said with a heavy sigh.

_But I'm afraid..._

"But it doesn't change anything, Jude." I told her with a shrug.

_It's too late to apologize_

"I know." She whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

_It's too late_

"Jude, I" I sighed and closed my eyes. Why am I doing this? I asked myself.  
_  
I said it's too late to apologize_

Jude looked up at me, a hopeful expression filling her tear-filled eyes and I had to remind myself of the last six months.

I_t's too late_

Remember how she shot me down when I all but proposed to her and resist my urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her like my life depended on it.

_It's too late to apologize_

"Yeah, Tommy?" She said, sniffling slightly as she prodded me on.

_It's too late_

I just looked at her a long moment, remembering what it was like to love her. Remember when she was my whole world and I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe without having her with me.

_I said it's too late to apologize_

But like everything else in my life...

_It's too late_

I was wrong.

_I said it's too late to apologize_

I got on with out her. I moved on, met someone new. Someone I didn't walk on pins and needles with all the time. Someone who didn't know me for my mistakes, but for the man I became from learning from them.

_Yeah too late_

I sighed and took a couple steps closer to her, closing the distance between us. Jude just watched me, her eyes shining with unshed tears still. I reached out and touched her cheek, caressing the soft skin.

_I said it's too late to apologize_,

"I just, I want you to know," I paused a moment. Did I really want to do this? I wondered briefly. "A part of me, will always love you."

_Yeah- too late_

Jude closed her eyes at my words and nodded her head.

"OK." She whispered, a tear falling from her closed eyes. I wiped it away with my thumb, slowly caressing her skin and she opened her eyes to look at me. I gave her a sad smile and bent down, kissing her cheek.

"Good bye, Jude."

"Good bye, Tommy." She said, her voice breaking and I gave her a small nod before I turned and left her standing on the street corner like so many times before. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This time, it wasn't any easier than the last times. I felt a single tear fall from my eye as I said goodbye to the former love of my life.

_I'm holdin on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground_...

FIN


End file.
